When optical fibers are to be spliced or the like, an optical-fiber-holding member for holding the optical fiber is used. For example, an optical fiber is held by an optical-fiber-holding member and is cut and removed of its coating. Then each optical-fiber-holding member is set into a fusing device to splice the optical fibers by fusion (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-98377 (JP-A-2003-98377), for example).
When splicing optical fiber core cables having an outer diameter of 0.25 mm together, for example, a method in which optical-fiber-holding members hold the optical fibers, coatings of a predetermined range of the optical fibers are then removed, and the optical fibers of connection targets are butted together to be fusion spliced has been adopted.
However, the 0.25 mm optical fiber core cable has a small outer diameter and is difficult to handle, so there are cases in which optical fibers with larger diameters are used. If the same optical-fiber-holding members are used in such a case where optical fibers with different outer diameters are to be handled, the core positions of the optical fibers differ and it may be difficult to ensure alignment of the cores when fusion splicing.
Furthermore, there are cases in which drop cables are used when laying optical fibers from outdoors into indoor rooms. Since such a drop cable is an optical fiber coated by an outer jacket and thus has a large outer diameter, it is difficult for an optical-fiber-holding member for optical fiber core cables to hold the drop cable. Thus, it has been necessary to use an optical-fiber-holding member specialized for holding drop cables.
However, using different optical-fiber-holding members for various types of optical fibers demands the operator to carry a plurality of types of optical-fiber-holding members, and its workability is inefficient.
On the other hand, there is a method in which the length of the outer jacket or the like that is to be removed is increased and the optical-fiber-holding member holds the optical fiber at the part where the outer jacket or the like is removed. In this way, even for the drop cables, the optical fiber inside can be securely held and splicing operations and the like can be carried out.
However, in this method, the length of the part where the outer jacket or the like is removed is longer and thus the part that requires reinforcement after splicing becomes longer. Thus, it is preferable that the length of the part where the outer jacket or the like is removed is as short as possible. So, it is desirable that one optical-fiber-holding member can hold optical fiber core cables or optical fiber cables with different outer diameters without removing the outer jacket or the like more than necessary.